
After the 'Opening Weekend', the peloton will begin the semi-classic period in Belgium, consisting of many non-World Tour cobbled classics. The first of which is Le Samyn, a race with plenty history, notable winners, and with Wout van Aert at the start line this 3rd of March. We take a look at its startlist.
The event was first held in 1968 and has been a benchmark for classics specialists for decades, serving the Belgian crowd favourites many times. Since the start of the 21st century a lot of meaningful names have won here such as Magnus Bäckstedt, Robbie McEwen, Philippe Gilbert, Arnaud Démare, Niki Terpstra... It is a race that both suits the sprinters and classics specialists, an interesting dynamic, and so we have both types of riders in the palmarès.
This decade, every single edition has been won in a sprint - two of them from small groups however. Hugo Hofstetter, Tim Merlier, Matteo Trentin, Milan Menten and Laurenz Rex were all winners; whilst last year it was last-minute addition Mathieu van der Poel who opened his season here and took a victory over Paul Magnier.
Download the startlist in A4. Team Visma | Lease a Bike headline the race this year round with Wout van Aert at the start line followed by former European Champion Christophe Laporte, both big favourites. The World Tour is also represented with Alpecin-Premier Tech; Soudal - Quick-Step; NSN Cycling Team (Hugo Hofstetter); Groupama - FDJ United; Team Picnic PostNL; Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe (Jordi Meeus & Danny van Poppel) and Lotto-Intermarché.
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Startlist Le Samyn 2026
| Alpecin - Premier Tech | |
| 1 | Thijssen, Gerben |
| 2 | Rickaert, Jonas |
| 3 | Dillier, Silvan |
| 4 | Price-Pejtersen, Johan |
| 5 | Sénéchal, Florian |
| 6 | Geens, Jonas |
| 7 | Dehairs, Simon |
| Soudal - Quick-Step | |
| 11 | Rex, Laurenz |
| 12 | Bastiaens, Ayco |
| 13 | Svrček, Martin |
| 14 | Vangheluwe, Warre |
| 15 | Desal, Ceriel |
| 16 | Tricht, Stan Van |
| 17 | Lerberghe, Bert Van |
| TotalEnergies | |
| 21 | Dauphin, Florian |
| 22 | Boulahoite, Rayan |
| 23 | Gachignard, Thomas |
| 24 | Thierry, Pierre |
| 25 | Marcerou, Nicola |
| 26 | Tesson, Jason |
| 27 | Vadic, Baptiste |
| NSN Cycling Team | |
| 31 | Hofstetter, Hugo |
| 32 | Kogut, Oded |
| 33 | Watts, Kiaan |
| 34 | Pirinen, Miko |
| 35 | Tricht, Floris Van |
| 36 | Verbrugghe, Jens |
| 37 | Asbroeck, Tom Van |
| Groupama - FDJ United | |
| 41 | Barthe, Cyril |
| 42 | Fontaine, Titouan |
| 43 | Gruel, Thibaud |
| 44 | Huens, Axel |
| 45 | Milan, Matteo |
| 46 | Penhoët, Paul |
| 47 | Agnoletto, Blake |
| Team Visma - Lease a Bike | |
| 51 | Aert, Wout van |
| 52 | Kerckhove, Matisse Van |
| 53 | Belle, Loe van |
| 54 | Hagenes, Per Strand |
| 55 | Laporte, Christophe |
| 56 | Mattio, Pietro |
| 57 | Taillieu, Aldo |
| Team Picnic PostNL | |
| 61 | Biesterbos, Frits |
| 62 | Berg, Julius van den |
| 63 | Scheldeman, Xander |
| 64 | Flynn, Sean |
| 65 | Jakobsen, Fabio |
| 66 | Haquin, Henri-François |
| 67 | Roosen, Timo |
| Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | |
| 71 | Meeus, Jordi |
| 72 | Marit, Arne |
| 73 | Drizners, Jarrad |
| 74 | Poppel, Danny van |
| 75 | Magagnotti, Alessio |
| 76 | Mouris, Michiel |
| 77 | Vermeersch, Gianni |
| Lotto - Intermarché | |
| 81 | Grisel, Matys |
| 82 | Beullens, Cedric |
| 83 | Braet, Vito |
| 84 | Ørn-Kristoff, Felix |
| 85 | Schuyteneer, Steffen De |
| 86 | Grignard, Sébastien |
| 87 | Sintmaartensdijk, Roel van |
| Unibet Rose Rockets | |
| 91 | Reinders, Elmar |
| 92 | Vries, Hartthijs de |
| 93 | Bloem, Joren |
| 94 | Feldmann, Karsten Larsen |
| 95 | Groenewegen, Dylan |
| 96 | Kopecký, Tomáš |
| 97 | Kubiš, Lukáš |
| Team Flanders - Baloise | |
| 101 | Huysmans, Nolan |
| 102 | Lambrecht, Michiel |
| 103 | Thonnon, Senne |
| 104 | Torney, Artuur |
| 105 | Haute, Milan Van den |
| 106 | Vandenbranden, Noah |
| 107 | Vanhoof, Ward |
| Cofidis | |
| 111 | Aniołkowski, Stanisław |
| 112 | Biermans, Jenthe |
| 113 | Page, Hugo |
| 114 | Renard, Alexis |
| 116 | Teuns, Dylan |
| 117 | Maas, Jan |
| Modern Adventure Pro Cycling | |
| 121 | Boardman, Samuel |
| 122 | Christian, Sean |
| 123 | Caudell, Ezra |
| 124 | McDonald, Brody |
| 125 | Oliver, Ben |
| 126 | Pickrell, Riley |
| 127 | Stewart, Mark |
| EEW-VDK Cyclingteam | |
| 131 | Wal, Rik van der |
| 132 | Bouma, Jelle |
| 133 | Uptegrove, Ed |
| 134 | Schulten, Chiel |
| 135 | Bronswijk, Mike |
| 136 | Visser, Guillaume |
| 137 | Huitema, Jasper |
| VolkerWessels Cycling Team | |
| 141 | Abma, Elmar |
| 142 | Bolle, Bert |
| 143 | Claeys, Robbe |
| 144 | Crockett, Finn |
| 145 | Dobbelaere, Born De |
| 146 | Paardekooper, Thijmen |
| 147 | Woets, Mattanja |
| BEAT CC pb Saxo | |
| 151 | Dekker, David |
| 152 | Appel, Stijn |
| 153 | Maas, Marijn |
| 154 | Kerckhaert, Jochem |
| 155 | Kroonen, Max |
| 156 | Coppens, Michiel |
| 157 | Sintmaartensdijk, Daan van |
| Tarteletto - Isorex | |
| 161 | Dupont, Timothy |
| 162 | Lauryssen, Yorben |
| 163 | Moonen, Zeno |
| 164 | Santy, Arne |
| 165 | Harteel, Jelle |
| 166 | Petegem, Axandre Van |
| 167 | Vermoote, Jelle |
| Elite Fondations Cycling Team | |
| 171 | George, Alfred |
| 172 | Rouiller, Loris |
| 173 | Blum, Elia |
| 174 | Sommer, Jan |
| 175 | Jean, Victor |
| 176 | Darbellay, Valentin |
| 177 | Bögli, Noah |
| Team Lotto Kern-Haus Outlet Montabaur | |
| 181 | Huppertz, Joshua |
| 183 | Rottmann, Jonathan |
| 184 | Jablonski, Ole |
| 185 | Behrens, Eike |
| 186 | Grupp, Louis |
| Van Rysel Roubaix | |
| 191 | Arnes, Daniel |
| 192 | Avoine, Kévin |
| 193 | Heremans, Joppe |
| 194 | Oosterlinck, Joes |
| 195 | Raugel, Antoine |
| 196 | Tendon, Arnaud |
| 197 | Théot, Killian |
| St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 | |
| 201 | Bénéteau, Lucas |
| 202 | Bouquet, Axel |
| 203 | Berger, Antoine |
| 205 | Delacroix, Théo |
| 206 | Lecroq, Jérémy |
| 207 | Niekerk, Morné van |
| Bahrain Victorious | |
| 211 | Segaert, Alec |
| 212 | Borgo, Alessandro |
| 213 | Bruttomesso, Alberto |
| 214 | Eržen, Zak |
| 215 | Govekar, Matevž |
| 216 | Stannard, Robert |
| 217 | Dunwoody, Seth |
| Atom 6 Bikes - Cycleur de Luxe - Auto Stroo Team | |
| 221 | Dhaeye, Enrico |
| 222 | Gullhav, Kristoffer |
| 223 | King, Matthew |
| 224 | McKay, James |
| 225 | Nielsen, Magnus |
| 226 | Radcliffe, George |
| 227 | Rigole, Brian |
| Aarco | |
| 231 | Baguelin, Jocelyn |
| 232 | Dockx, Gilles |
| 233 | Hannes, Victor |
| 234 | Lowagie, Arthur |
| 235 | Staes, Gibbe |
| 236 | Broek, Axel Van den |
| 237 | Zabelinskiy, Bogdan |
| Color Code - Alu Center | |
| 241 | Desmarets, Julien |
| 242 | Melotte, Matteo |
| 243 | Noirhomme, Arnaud |
| 244 | Wertz, Hugo |
| 245 | Marx, Louis |
| 246 | Cardinal, Nathan |
| 247 | Jacques, Lucas |

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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